A Demon's Heart
by claihm solais
Summary: COMPLETE An ancient spell opens the well for youkai, and Kagome is attacked for the shards. A stranger protects her, and vanishes right afterwards. He turns out to have a history with one of them...Complete summary inside!
1. Chapter One: Future's Enemy

**A Demon's Heart**

**An Inu-Yasha Fanfiction story**

**By: Patrick Nguyen Huu**

**Rating: PG-13**

**Pairing: Kagome/Inu-Yasha, Sango/Miroku, Kagura/OC **

**Summary: There is a mysterious figure who is after the incomplete Shikon Jewel, and thus after Kagome's life. Somehow, the well has started working for most people and youkai. A mystery protector appears and fights alongside Inu-Yasha, Miroku, and Sango to protect Kagume, always vanishing immediately after the battle. He turns out to have a history with one of them – and Kagura...**

**Author's Notes: I wrote this while I got bored in a friend's apartment over the holidays and kept reading Inu-Yasha. Please R&R!**

**Disclaimer: Inu-Yasha belongs to Rumiko Takahashi, so pleaso don't sue me! Though I wish they belonged to me (don't we all *wink*). I'm working on it, though.**

**Translations: (in order of appeareance)**

            _Hanyou_: half-demon, half-human

            _Tayji_-_ya: Demon hunter/huntress_

            _Miko: Priestess_

            _Osuwari_: "Sit"

            _Youkai_: Demon

            _Shikon_ _no _Tama_: Jewel of the Four Souls_

            _Katana: _Traditional Japanese longsword

            _Wakizashi: _Traditional Japanese short version of the _Katana_

            _Tadaima_: "I'm home", traditional greeting when you return

            _Haori_: Top part of a kimono, the outer jacket

            _Kimono: Traditional Japanese robe_

            _Sakura_: Cherry blossom

            _Eien_ _Ryoko: Literally, "Eternal Wanderer"_

_Youki_: Demonic energy

_Kuso_: "Dammit"

_Tetsusaiga:_ Literally, "Iron Pulverizing Fang", Inu-Yasha's sword

_Saya_: The sheath of the Katana

_Bakuryuu_: The ultimate attack of the Tetsusaiga. Inu-Yasha directs his youki 

into the blade, making it lighter and faster, also allowing him to use  

the _Kaze no Kizu_ at will.

            _Dójó_: "Compassion", the name of Ryoko's katana.

            _Jíhí_: "Mercy", the name of Ryoko's wakizashi.

            _Oji(-san)_: Uncle

            _Go-Shinboku_: The God Tree

            _Kaji no Ha_: "Blade of Fire", Ryoko's attack

            _Fuujin no Mai_: "Dance of the Windblades", Kagura's attack

_Kaze no Kizu_: "Wound of the Wind", Inu-Yasha's wind attack. He channels 

energy into the Tetsusaiga and releases it in a blast of wind   

energy in form of a bunch of large windblasts

_Hono no Kabe_: "Wall of Flame", Ryoko's attack. It is a wall of purifying magical 

fire.

            _Seijakou no Kabe_: "Silence Wall". Ryoko's defense. An energy wall.

            _Daijobu da_: "Are you all right?"

_Saishou no Hakai:_ "Ultimate Destruction", last resort attack, and one of the 

most powerful spells. Destroys everything in a on-thousand-foot radius, including the caster.

            _Aishiteru_: "I love you".

**Chapter One: Future's Enemy**

            A dark robed figure deep in a cavern in the Sengoku Jidai – the Warring States Era, or Feudal Japan – chanted. Magical energy began building around the figure, and pulsed. It swirled into a vortex as the figure continued to chant in an ancient language long forgotten.

            The energy began streaming into shape, crystallizing into a portal, then shattering like a mirror. With a final incantation and flash of light, the spell ended.

            _The well is open. Now go, and get what is mine..._It was a mere thought, but it was enough to set plans into motion.

The fight was over. Battered and bloodied they were, but it was over, and they had gained another of the shards of the sacred Shikon Jewel. They were one step closer to ending their quest that had begun years ago.  "I just hope that bastard stays dead this time," a young man grumbled. The demon had resurrected itself several times in a row, until they had pinpointed the shard that kept it alive.

            Inu-Yasha, the silver haired hanyou, hefted his trusty sword from where it stuck impaled in the ground and resheathed it. His distinctive amber-colored eyes quickly surveyed the battlefield. Kirara, Sango's pet cat-demon, was crawling around and pulling on a kitsune tail that poked out from under a tree trunk. The dog-demon chuckled. The kitsune had probably hidden there as the battle got furious. Speaking of Sango...he glanced around quickly, then spotted Miroku helping her to her feet. The lecherous monk was leaning on his staff, but he seemed, for once, not intent on touching the woman in...inappropriate spots. That is, until Sango's indignified yell rang throughout the clearing. Inu-Yasha didn't even turn at the resounding slap that put an undignified end to Miroku's attempt at groping the tayji-ya.

            The the hanyou frowned. Where the hell was Kagome? He'd lost track of the girl during the fight, but had assumed she had been able to defend herself from the demon's attacks. He looked around the battlefield once more. When he didn't see her, he started to worriedly look around again until he spotted a glimpse of her white school uniform in the high grass. He ran over to her. Sango attempted to follow him, but Miroku restrained her. Inu-Yasha probably wouldn't like an audience when he took care of the reincarnated miko.

            "Kagome? Kagome!" The hanyou was shaking the teenage girl lightly until she groaned. He noticed a dark crimson stain on her side as he carefully lifted her off the ground, easing one arm under her knees and the other behind her neck. "Come on, Kagome." As she began to stir, he let out a quiet, relieved sigh. "About time you woke up, wench." He stood her on the ground again. It was then she smiled slightly. _Uh-oh. That does not bode well, Inu-Yasha thought._

            "Inu-Yasha?" She murmured.

            "Yes?"

            "Osuwari."

            _SLAM!_ The hanyou crashed headfirst into the ground, pulled by the prayer beads around his neck. The downed hanyou let out a barrage of curses that made Miroku and Sango perk up, even from afar. The priest grinned slightly and decided to file some of it away for eventual future use.

            "What was that for?" Inu-Yasha shot at the miko before lifting himself back up to his feet. She smiled weakly at him. "For dropping me like that." He snorted and picked her up again, then walked back to the others, despite her loud protests. With her slung over his shoulder, she didn't see the grin on his face as he carried her back to their friends.

            The six of them sat around the fireplace in Kaede's hut, eating dinner. Kagome thought now would be a good thing to bring up the issue she had wanted to discuss with them. She cleared her throat. "Uh, folks?" She saw she had their attention. "I'm going home for a few days." Inu-Yasha shot to his feet. "You're not!" Kagome sighed. "Inu-Yasha, I've got tests, and I need to study." The hanyou grumbled. "You're not leaving. We can't waste time in finding the shards."

            "When are you leaving, Kagome-chan?" Sango asked. The other girl glanced over at the taiji-ya. "Tomorrow." She didn't say more, and Inu-Yasha retreated into a corner, mumbling to himself. One by one, they went to sleep that night. When Kagome laid down, she noticed Inu-Yasha was quietly watching her. And he kept watching her through the night, his mind in turmoil.

            She'd be leaving. Again. He didn't like it when she left. He felt so...incomplete. Strangely, he couldn't fathom why he would feel that way, and now he tried to sort out his feelings for her. He frowned as he thought back, to all the times he'd fought with her or talked to her.

            The times she had nearly gotten killed. His mind wandered back to the battle with Kaguya, the moon princess who'd broken her seal. Kagome had been nearly killed by her very own arrow, catching the purifying blow before it hit him. "Why did you do something so reckless?" He'd asked her. A small smile tugged as her lips as she replied as she fell. "Don't you always do reckless things for me?" He'd felt so lost then, when he'd thought she would die. No, lost didn't even begin to cover it, it felt more like...fear and despair.

            Just hours later she'd been holding on to him in a death grip, trying to keep him from transforming into a full-fledged youkai at the hands of Kaguya herself. She'd brought him back with a kiss...He let out a deep breath as he remembered it. Somehow, it had felt _right. And every time she left, a part of him shuddered in the unfounded fear that she wouldn't come back – that she would find some human and forget about all of them. He snorted, his defiance resurfacing. Well, if the wench wanted to leave, then, by all means._

            The half-demon shuddered at the thought. No...that was wrong. He wanted her here, by his side, he realized. Though he'd never admit it to anyone else, she'd managed to break down all of his carefully erected barriers after Kikyo betrayed him. He was astounded that she'd even put up with him till now. He knew that once they'd completed the jewel, she'd want to go home. Once they had the Shikon no Tama complete, she'd wait for him to ask it to fulfill his deepest wish.

            His deepest wish...

            The more he thought about it, the less he liked his old wish to become a full youkai. He'd experienced what it was like to be one, both when he turned into one when he lost the Tetsusaiga, and by Kaguya's spell. Kagome's words returned to him..."I like you as a hanyou, Inu-Yasha..." He sighed. When she asked him, he wouldn't even have an answer for her. What was his deepest wish _now_?

            For his friends to be happy? For Miroku and Sango to finally realize they were meant to be together? For Sesshoumaru to stop trying to kill him over the Tetsusaiga? For Kagome to be happy? His mind was a furious whirlwind of thoughts and emotions, until the tired hanyou succumbed to sleep.

            At one other place, another person couldn't sleep. She stopped her walk as she saw a figure leaning against a tree in front of her. Her right hand unconsiously went to her fighting fan. "Don't bother, Kagura. I'm not here to fight you." 

            "Who are you?"

            "Just...someone. I came to make you an offer." The shadow replied. Kagura was by now pretty sure it was a man. "What kind of offer?" She asked as she stepped closer. The moonlight cast eerie shadows on the ground as she approached the stranger.

            "You wish to be free of Naraku, don't you?"

            The woman shook her head. "Nothing can free me of my servitude to him until he's dead."

            "There is a way." That got her interest. 

            "What way?"

            The figure lifted his head and turned to look at her. Shoulder-length black hair drawn back in a ponytail framed the stranger's face, but Kagura's gaze settled on his dark green eyes. "There is a way to break the bond between you and Naraku, if you are willing to...form another bond."

            The lady of the wind grimaced. "Switch from serving one bastard to the other? No thanks." She had disobeyed Naraku once, because she didn't like being bossed around by that bastard. The consequences hadn't been too...pretty. The stranger gave a light laugh. "Not a bond like that. The connection between you and Naraku is a magical one," Kagura snorted at this obvious statement. The man contiuned, unperturbed. "But if there is a conflict between two bonds, the stronger one will prevail, while the other is broken, and Naraku will no longer have control over you."

            Kagura arched an eyebrow. "Then tell me, what kind of spell is stronger than my loyalty to Naraku?" He chuckled. "There is only one, really." _Uh-oh._ Kagura could see where this was going. "Uh, marriage?" She asked. The man nodded. "Not here, but in another time, as well," he added. Kagure considered her options. She'd finally be able to leave that bastard Naraku's services, but at what cost? She'd have to marry a complete stranger, follow him to kami-sama knew where, and who knew what he'd want of her.

            "Where's the catch?" Kagura demanded. 

"There is none." 

"There has to be something you want to gain out of this," Kagura told him. "Why would you offer something like this, surely not out of the goodness of your heart." She heard the man chuckle again.

"There is no catch, and there is nothing I want of you."

Kagura glanced at the man again. "Then who are you? Are you with that half-breed Inu-Yasha? I'd at least like to know the name of the person who offered me my freedom."

The man stepped out of the shadows completely. She could see he was clad in a dark green haori and white shirt. The kimono he wore was also dark green, and she could barely make out the sakura pattern on it. He was carrying a katana on his left, but unconventionally carried the wakizashi on his right side, instead of with the katana. "I'm not with Inu-Yasha. I'm just a...traveller. My name is Eien Ryoko." He smiled slightly. "I've been wandering this area for some time, and I couldn't help but notice Naraku and Inu-Yasha battling for the shards of the Shikon no Tama."

Kagura nodded. "I...need time to think about this."

Ryoko nodded as well. "Take your time – just don't take too long. Eventually, Naraku will find out." With that he faded back into the shadows. Kagura blinked. Did he just vanish like that? She shook her head. No, she was probably imagining things.

            "WAAAAAH! Don't leave me, Kagome!" Shippo wailed. "Don't go!" She smiled sadly down at the kitsune, and patted him on the head. "Don't worry, I'll be back in a week, and Miroku and Sango will take good care of you, ne?" The addressed couple nodded vigorously. The schoolgirl caught Sango in a hug. "See you later, Sango-chan. I'll miss you." The other woman smiled. "Do take care, Kagome-chan."

            Miroku nodded his assent. "Lady Kagome, do hurry back. I look forward to the day when you grace us with your presence again. Oh, and – will you bear my child?" He winked and grinned at her. "PERVERT!" Sango and Kagome shouted as both girls banged his head. Kagome grinned back, and leaned in to whisper, "Maybe you should stop asking women, or you'll make Sango jealous." The monk blushed at that.

            The group retreated a distance away, and then there was only one person left. She looked over to where Inu-Yasha stood tall, the sun at his back, silver hair floating around in the gentle breeze, framing his face. The more she thought about it, the more he looked like one of those heroes from ancient legends to her. He quickly crossed the remaining distance between them, and stopped within arm's reach.

            Her gaze wandered into his amber eyes. Kagome was surprised at what she found in them – she had expected the concealed hurt, the gruffness, maybe even anger at her leaving. What she found besides that seemed so foreign to her hanyou friend that it took her a moment to realize that she was really seeing it. Sadness and...something else were in his eyes.

            Inu-Yasha stood before her, before the girl who'd been a friend, and then somehow become something more. He'd never thought of it this way, but he realized what he felt. _Why Miroku acts towards Sango the way he does...and why I act towards her the way I do. But I still have a duty towards Kikyo...and she won't be truly happy here. She can't love me. He took a deep breath. "You can't go."_

            "Why not?" She glanced up at him. "Because...because..." the hanyou struggled for words. "Because you can't leave! I won't let you!" She sighed. "I'll be back in a week, Inu-Yasha. It's not as if I'm going to be gone forever." The hanyou crossed his arms. "We can't waste more time looking for the shards, not while we have an advantage over Naraku."

            "Inu-Yasha, it's not as if Naraku will take over the world in one week. He's not that fast." The girl began to get angry. Why was he always putting up a fight when she had to leave? She would have loved to stay, but she needed to go back to her family and friends, and she needed to continue her schooling. "Look, Inu-Yasha, I need to take these tests."

            "You're always taking tests, what is so important about them?" the half-demon huffed. "Everything! They're my future! Tell me, Inu-Yasha, what am I going to do when we're done looking for the shards? I need to be able to do something in my world!" she yelled. "They're more important than these stupid shards!"

            "Well, you broke them in the first place!"

            "And I said I'd be back!"

            "You're staying!"

            "I'm leaving, Inu-Yasha!" she screamed. 

            "No, you're not!"

            "YES!"

            "NO!"

            "YES!"

            "YOU'RE STAYING!"

            "I'M GOING HOME, INU-YASHA!"

            "FINE! SEE IF I CARE!"

            Kagome sighed. This was one stubborn hanyou. "Inu-Yasha, let me go." He didn't step aside. "Osuwari," she said. "Osuwari. Osuwari. Osuwari. OSUWARI!" Kagome yelled. The hanyou was slammed into the ground until there was an Inu-Yasha shaped hole in the ground before her. She stepped over it. "I'll be back in a week," she told him before she jumped into the well.

            Kagome pulled herself out of the well. She sighed and hauled her oversize backpack into the house. "Tadaima!" she shouted. "Onee-san!" Kagome's little brother, Souta ran up to her. "You're back! Did you bring Inu-Yasha?" Kagome glared at him. "No. But knowing him, he'll be showing up in a few days." 

            "I would hope so. You to make such a nice-" Kagome blushed and clamped her hands over her grandfather's mouth. "Mmmhpff!" He grinned and pried her off. "Actually, it wouldn't surprise me if he showed up anytime soon." Kagome sighed. She walked up to her room and tossed her backpack on her bed, and took out a math book.

            _Now is the time...Get me the Shikon no Tama_, a figure hidden in the shadows hissed. A thin, parted, snakelike tounged flashed through the air as the telepathic command was transmitted, and the figure watched as its accomplices moved through the well to the other world.

            _The time has come to take my revenge._ The hiss echoed in the dark cavern. Soon, the Jewel of the Four Souls would be in its hands...

            "Why do we have to learn math, anyway? I'd like to find out who invented it, and shoot him," Kagome muttered as she walked home from school. For a moment she thought she felt a youki, but shook her head. She was in her time, and there weren't any youkai in her time. She kept walking through the park, wishing for once she were back in the Sengoku Jidai era, uncaring about math and English, and school in general, when she tripped on something.

            Glancing down, she saw it was the root of a tree. She kept walking, not noticing the dark figure that lurked behind the treeline. What Kagome did notice was when something jumped in front of her, blocking her path. "What do you wa-" she froze when she looked up and saw a youkai blocking her way. A pretty ugly one, too, she thought as she took in its gnarled limbs and scarred face.

            "Give me the shards!" It demanded, it's tentacles sprouting and reaching for her. Kagome ducked and turned around to run, but a second youkai had taken up position behind her, preventing her from escaping. _How did they get here? They can't have gotten through the well, can they?_ She felt a tentacle grasp her arm, and tried to tug away from it, and screamed. "INU-YASHA!"

            The hanyou was sitting on a tree branch, sulking. Kagome had been gone for...a day and a half now, and he couldn't stand it. He'd given up pacing when Kaede had  kicked him out of her hut for wearing out the flooring, and Sango and Miroku had told him to go after her. So, he sat in a tree, and sulked.

            Opening his eyes, he decided to go after the girl. "Feh. I'll drag that wench back here kicking and screaming, if I have to." He jumped out of the tree, and ran for the well. He felt the magical energy surrounding him, and glanced up at the roof of the well house. Dragging himself out, he walked over to the tree that stood in front of her window and jumped up on a branch. Kagome wasn't in her room.

            He pried open the window and took in her scent. She was probably at that thing she called "school". He decided to follow her trail and left for the city. He stopped right in the middle of a street, causing a taxi to swerve around him and bombard him with curses when he picked up a newer trail of her scent.

            _INU-YASHA!_ He blinked. Did he just hear that? It had sounded like Kagome's voice, but she wasn't anywhere near him. _INU-YASHA!_ He heard it again. It _was_ Kagome's voice, and she sounded like she was in trouble. "Stupid woman, can't keep out of trouble." He started to run.

            The tentacles wrapped around her legs and arms, pinning them behind her. One tentacle encircled her neck, and started to contract. "INU-YASHA!" Kagome choked out. "Give me the shards," the youkai demanded again. "INU-" Kagome's cry cut off as the tentacled continued choking her. "That half-breed won't be able to help you this time." 

            Despite the lack of air, Kagome kept struggling, hoping that through some miracle, the hanyou would appear and save her. She knew it was impossible – he was back in Sengoku Jidai, and wouldn't be coming for her for a week. He was probably still mad at her for the "sit"s he had received, anyway.

            "Cry all you will, your precious Inu-Yasha won't be here to save you," the youkai laughed. Kagome was on the verge of blacking out, when she heard something on the edge of her consciousness. She heard the youkai give a startled cry, and drop her. Looking up and gasping for air, she saw a man in a dark green coat dodging one of the youkai's blows, his katana dripping with the youkai's blood.

            The stranger seemed to dance around the blows effortlessly, then coutered with his blade, driving it deep into the youkai, and clipping off tentacles. The second youkai behind her turned towards the new threat, and send three of its tentacles flying, intending to impale its attacker. 

            The man turned halfway, drew a second blade, and sliced off one of the tentacles before somersaulting out, and landing a few feet away. He whirled around and launched himself back into the fight.

            Two minutes later, it was over. Chunks of youkai flesh lay strewn around and dissolved to dust. Kagome tried to stand up, but she collapsed back to the ground. The man stood there in the middle of the park, then seemed to perk up. He sheathed his weapons and left, his long dark green cloak fluttering in the wind.

            _Fools!_ The figure snarled. Two against one – how dare they fail! Still, he hadn't anticipated the interference from that stranger. Clearly, he didn't belong in that other world. The figure was sure the stranger belonged into his time, his world. Still, he had the aura of a warrior. He would have to look out for that one in the future.

            _This is becoming increasingly interesting,_ it thought. _That one may well be a powerful adversary, maybe even powerful enough to destroy my spell. _

            Inu-Yasha arrived at a dead run. He glanced around and spotted Kagome lying on the ground, catching her breath. He ran over to her side, and helped her up. "What happened? Are you hurt?"

            She shook her head. "No. I don't know what happened, suddenly two youkai jumped me, demanding the shards." The hanyou glanced around. "I don't see any youkai." He sniffed the air. "But I can smell traces of them. What happened?" Kagome leaned against him. "There was this guy – just as the youkai was about to choke me, he jumped in and killed them, then he left."

            _Kuso! I was too late!_ Inu-Yasha mentally swore. If he'd just came a minute earlier...There was nothing that could be done about that now. "Come one. Let's get you home," he grunted, lifting her up and leaping into the air. As they arrived at the shrine, he leapt through her room's window, and gently stood her down. He took her chin in his hand and examined her throat.

            Kagome flinched slightly as she felt his gaze on her throat. The hanyou could see it was bruised and swollen, but no major damage done. "Good. You were lucky, you don't need to go to one of you hoss-pi-tals," he noted, then the look in his eyes softened. "Kagome, I'm sorry I was too late. If that stranger hadn't come..."

            "I would have had to hung on a little longer," the girl grinned. She saw him quickly cover up the guilty and sad look in his eyes. "Feh. How did the youkai get here, anyway?" Kagome shook her head. "I don't know. First I thought they were from this time, but it doesn't make any sense. They must have come through the well."

            "They can't! It's impossible." She shrugged. "Maybe not anymore. Who knows?" Inu-Yasha grunted. "Who do you think that guy is?" 

            "I have no idea. I could barely sense him, so I'm sure he's no normal human, but I don't know anything else." Again, the hanyou grunted. "That's it. I'm staying here." "What??" Kagome shouted. "You heard me. I'm staying here until you come back. I won't let you get attacked again."

            Sighing, Kagome relented to the half-demon.


	2. Chapter Two: The Mysterious Stranger

**Chapter Two: The Mysterious Stranger**

            As Inu-Yasha kept watch over Kagome, he noticed several youkai were usually nearby, attempting to sneak in. Strangely, as soon as they should have been within eyesight, they were gone. The night after Kagome's final test, before they left for Sengoku Jidai, he noticed youki flowing around the shrine. The hanyou hopped down from his tree branch and sniffed around until he managed to pick it up. It was coming from the well. He walked over to the well, and ducked into the shadows of the well house.

            A moment later, he could see the shape of a large, ugly demon appear. It seemed to be some sort of spider. Before it could fully emerge, he drew the Tetsusaiga and leapt up to cleave the youkai in half. Bringing the giant sword down on the torso of the youkai, he cleaved it in half. Satisfied with his handiwork, Inu-Yasha made sure the youkai wouldn't rise again, and left. He didn't notice the shadow jumping into the well.

            A large knapsack flew over the edge of the well, and a head with long silver hair soon followed. Inu-Yasha hauled himself out of the well, then pulled out Kagome. As they returned to the village, Kagome relished in the peace of the day. Sure, there were youkai out to kill them, but there were no cars, no noise, and the sky was clear. She didn't notice her hanyou friend watching her silently. 

            _If only I wouldn't stick my foot into my mouth so often, maybe we'd even be able to string up a conversation without fighting, for once,_ Inu-Yasha thought. He was glad they were back in his time – here, he knew what to expect, and he'd be able to protect her. Before they reached the door to Kaede's hut, it flew open, and Shippo raced out and jumped into Kagome's arms. "Kagome-chan! You're back!"

            The girl laughed and patted the kitsune. "Yup. I'm back," she said before turning to Sango and Miroku. "Hey there. You wouldn't believe what a story I have to tell you."

            "WHAT? How did a youkai get into your time? I thought it was impossible – only you and Inu-Yasha can go through the well." Sango glanced at the half-demon. He shrugged. "They managed to get through, anyway. Fact is, it isn't safe over there anymore." Miroku nodded. "He is right. If demons can come to your time, then we can't protect you. You'd be safest here."

            "I..." Kagome tried to object, but she saw the reasoning, and nodded in agreement. "All right. Oh, and there is something else I wanted to tell you about – there was this guy in a green cloak who killed the demon. He seemed out of place, as well. Maybe he's not from my time, either."

            The group had gone to sleep, and Inu-Yasha was sitting in a tree, overlooking the village. He perked up as he heard footsteps beneath him. He glanced down and caught the familiar scent of Sango. The taiji-ya softly called, "Inu-Yasha?"

            "What do you want?"

            "There is something more that happened, right?"

            "How do you know?" The hanyou replied gruffly. He could see the woman smile. "You are easy to read. What is it?"

            Inu-Yasha sighed. "Just before she went to sleep, I thought I noticed something at the well. I went to look and there was a youkai coming through the well. It's nothing, I killed it easily." Sango nodded. "It would've been a great danger if you hadn't been there. I wonder who sent them?"

            "Who else? Naraku." The hanyou snorted.

            "Yes, probably. I won't tell Kagome – hey, Inu-Yasha?"

            "Yes?"

            "You'd better get some sleep." With that, the demon huntress left.

            Deep inside the forest, Kagura strolled around, relishing the cool night air as she contemplated Ryoko's offer. She had noticed an unusual increase in demon activity around Naraku's stronghold lately, and she was sure she had seen several demons lurking around the Bone Eater's Well that supposedly led to that girl's world.

            The more she considered it, the less she liked Naraku. He was a power hungry, egotistical, sadistic bastard in a baboon pelt. She chuckled. Great. Now she was thinking of him as a monkey. The prospect of being free of his employ beckoned her, and she leaned against the trunk of a tree to rest for a moment.

            "Deep in thought, Kagura?"

            The mistress of wind jumped and turned, her fighting fan out and in a defensive stance. She relaxed when she recognized Ryoko. "Don't do that to me, you baka! One day you'll meet someone nervous, and they'll put a blade through you." The man grinned slightly. "I'll think about it."

            Kagura studied him. It had been a week since their last meeting, and she couldn't help but noticed he seemed somewhat fatigued. His dark green kimono was still straight and pristine, but somewhat ruffled, and the katana by his side had seen recent use. She wondered what the man had been up to.

            "Well, Kagura, did you think about my offer?" He finally asked after a few moments of silence, leaning against the tree next to her and gazing up at the moon. She closed her eyes. Did she want to leave Naraku's employ? Hell yes. Was she ready for it? She didn't know. 

            "If this doesn't work, Naraku isn't going to be too pleased, you know," she finally told him. She heard his chuckle. "I know. But then, he's been trying to kill me for a long time. I took the risk when I stole a shard of the Shikon no Tama from him a while back." She opened her eyes and stared at him. "What?"

            Ryoko chuckled again. "And I've been getting on his nerves since...oh, fourty years ago, when I killed one of his favorite pet demons. He doesn't like that, you know." She gaped at his light tone and playful grin. "Tell me this is a joke."

            "Uh..." he seemed to think about it. "No."

            Then her mind caught on to something. If he'd been hunted by Naraku for over fourty years, why the heck did he look like he was thirty? "You don't look fourty," she voiced her question.

            "Uh-huh. I have a little demon blood in me. Not enough to make it obvious in my appeareance, but enough to give me a slight boost in lifespan and healing. Actually, my great-grandfather was a youkai." He took his gaze off the moon and directed it at her. "Well? You still haven't answered my question."

            "Oh, what the hell. Once Naraku doesn't need me anymore, I'm dead anyway."

            "I take that as a yes?" Ryoko grinned.

            "Definitely."

            He offered her his arm. "Then follow me, Lady Kagura." They vanished into the shadows.

            (A/N: Since Kagura doesn't like being bossed around by  Naraku, she tried to disobey him once already, and I think that if she were given a chance to leave Naraku's services, she would, so please bear with me.)

            Dawn was breaking over the village as the group sat around in Kaede's hut and ate breakfast. There was an unusually good mood circulating, mainly caused by Inu-Yasha. Although he knew Kagome was in danger, he was secretly glad she would be forced to stay here in his time until the matter was resolved.

            The knock on the door startled them. One of the villagers stood there sheepishly. "There are a lord and a lady standing outside, asking for the monk or miko." He informed them, and left. Kaede and Miroku rose. "Who can it be?" Kaede wondered. "We'll find out in a moment," Miroku said to no one in particular as they stepped through the door – and froze.

            "What are YOU doing here?" Sango, Kagome, Inu-Yasha, and Shippo heard from outside. "Kagura, what do you want this time?" Miroku asked. Upon hearing the name "Kagura", Inu-Yasha raced outside, followed by Kagome and Sango, who hefted their respective weapons.

            As they stepped out of the hut, the three froze and stared. There was Kagura, spawn of Naraku, standing with a man facing off Kaede and Miroku.

            "Isn't it obvious?" Kagura replied.

            "Uh...not really."

            The man at Kagura's side moved forward a little. His lean figure was covered by a dark green kimono, and he carried a katana and a wakizashi. He seemed to be a warrior. "Well, honorable monk, we're getting married."

            Two gasps startled the group to turn around. Kagome and Sango just stared at the man. Inu-Yasha and Miroku's gaze wandered from the two girls to the couple and back. "What the heck is going on here?"

            The man bowed slightly. "Just what I said. We're getting married." Miroku stared blankly. "But-but – that's Kagura! She's Naraku's...uh...whatever! Are you insane?" He smiled slightly. "I assure you, I'm completely sane."

            Inu-Yasha glanced at Kagome and Sango, who were still staring at the couple. "Oi! What's wrong, wench?"

            Kagome mumbled something, and he leaned in closer. "He's wearing the same kind of clothes the guy in the park wore. And he has the sword." The hanyou arched an eyebrow. "Many people carry swords around. Are you absolutely sure?" The girl shook her head. "No."

            Sango kept staring at the man. There was someting familiar about his features...she couldn't quite place it, but she was sure she had met the man. She went through her memory. Someone from her village maybe? She couldn't remember anyone there. It wasn't someone she'd met on the road, either.

            Then her gaze fell upon the simply decorated swordhilts. The bottom of the katana's grip was decorated with a small engraving of something, studded with a single ruby so dark red it was almost impossible to see...She _knew _definitely that she had already met the man. She remembered the sword.

            Miroku glanced over the two in amusement. He had to admit that Kagura and the stranger did make a nice couple, and though he feared that Kagura was after Kagome's shards of the Shikon no Tama, he couldn't help but feel like he should oblige to their request.

            "Don't worry, I'm not here to steal your precious Shikon shards," Kagura told him. "As he said, we're just here to get married." The priest shifted his gaze to her husband-to-be. "Why not?" He shrugged. "I shall prepare the ceremony."

            An arm on his wrist restrained the houshi. "Actually, can you hold the ceremony now? We're in a bit of a hurry, before the...father of the bride shows up." The man chuckled, and Miroku joined him. "Ah. Of course. Well, let me get your names, please."

            "Uh, just call me Eien. You already know Lady Kagura," the man said. "Of course." Miroku stuck his staff in the ground. "Do you have the tokens of your love?" (A/N: i.e., the RINGS! For those who didn't get that.) Eien nodded and handed over two identical simple metal bands that were shaped like twin dragons entwined. The houshi took the rings and went over the speech, then asked for their vows.

            He noticed both hesitated a little bit before answering. He grinned as the ceremony was completed and the couple hesitated again before slightly brushing their lips together for a shy kiss. "Still that shy, huh?" He grinned and promptly received a whack on the head courtesy of Sango's Hiraikotsu.

            Kagura slowly leaned forward. As they kissed and pulled apart, a strange feeling filled her – one that she had felt once before, when Naraku had faked his death and she had been free for a short time. Now, she felt it again. She idly wondered in the back of her mind what Naraku would do if he ever found her. When they parted, she played with the ring on her finger, the watching the light reflect off the smooth metal surface.

            She glanced back at her new husband, if you could call them that. She hardly knew anything about him, except for what little he had chosen to reveal to her. Still, the man intrigued her and she was somehow attracted to him. On impulse, she leaned in close, placing her mouth next to his ear. She enjoyed it as he shuddered, then whispered, "Why don't you tell me more about my husband?" Kagura pulled back and laughed as her man turned red and grinned. 

            Ryoko grinned as he took in Kagura's form. He'd mainly offered her this marriage as a way for her to escape Naraku, and a way for him to gain a travelling companion. He hadn't known why he had offered it – it had been a decision made in the spur of the moment when he had first seen and heard about her. Now, it started to feel like it had been fate at work. 

            "Well, my lady, maybe we should no longer take up this honorable monk's time and take our leave?" He asked. Her reply was an impish smile.

            "Did he just say honorable? Our houshi-sama, honorable?" Sango asked incredulously. Miroku turned to her and grinned in victory. The grin lasted for a millisecond before Sango felt a hand on her backside and banged him over the head again. She inspected her Hiraikotsu. It had a dent.

            "Houshi-sama really has a hard head," the taiji-ya chuckled.

            "NO! Absolutely NOT!" Inu-Yasha's shout echoed in the forest. "You are NOT going back!" Kagome turned her head from where she was halfway over the wells wall. "I need to go back, Inu-Yasha. I really have to. I have an exam tomorrow, and I need to study for it. It's just two days!" She sighed. She knew he only meant well – a little, at least – but the math exam was something she just couldn't afford to miss. _Especially not with my grades in math, she thought._

            "We can't all go over there – if a horde of youkai shows up, you'll be dead before you even get close to your stupid exam!"  "Don't worry about me, I can take care of myself!" Kagome screamed. 

            "Like the last time? I'm not going to let that happen again!"

            "Inu-Yasha, please. This is very important to me," Kagome resorted to pleading.

            "Feh. Fine. Two days."

            "Thank you!" The girl was about to hop into the well when a hand grasped her arm. "And I'm coming with you." The hanyou added.

            The well was dark at night, as was the rest of the Higurashi shrine. A pebble fell, and an ear perked up, its owner instantly awake. Inu-Yasha leapt down from the tree branch he was perched on, and headed for the direction of the well. The wench just _had to come back. Who knew what kind of youkai was coming out now? He approached the well carefully, and peered from behind the cover of a tree. His eyes quickly adjusted to the pitch-black darkness, and he could make out a bipedal shape._

            He drew the Tetsusaiga. He wasn't taking any more risks than absolutely necessary. The hanyou calculated his options. He could take out anything that came through the well with the Kaze no Kizu, but that would destroy the well, if he wasn't careful. Not to mention the trouble of having to explain why the well looked like a battlefield. When the creature was in range, he leapt at it with a snarl and brought the transformed sword down on it.

            To his surprise, it ducked and backed away slightly. He growled and swung again, trying to cut the invader to pieces. He was relatively sure now that his opponent was a human, or at least in human form. Miraculously, his target seemed to be quite adept at dodging his strikes. The hanyou growled again and brought the Tetsusaiga up as if poising for a vertical cut, but in mid-cut changed his stance and turned it into a diagonal cut, following his opponent's direction of movement.

            Unarmed until then, the figure drew a katana of its own. It didn't transform, but the curved blade seemed to glow in an eerie silvery light. The blade came up out of its saya and swooped upward. The Tetsusaiga glanced off it and slid down the length of the other sword. The fighters jumped apart.

            Inu-Yasha could dimly make out his opponent striking a defensive stance – odd, when considering the aggressive nature of most youkai. He swung the Tetsusaiga again, and this time, instead of dodging, the other person blocked high, then sidestepped and moved back into stance.

            _Hmm...Why isn't he attacking? This is no youkai – at least no ordinary one._ Inu-Yasha thought. He began to concentrate and let his youki flow into the blade. The enourmous sword began to glow a faint red. The hanyou didn't intend to let loose either of its attacks, instead, he intended to see how his opponent matched up against the higher speed and agility this provided the half-demon as he utilized the Bakuryuu technique.

            As he opened up with a series of blows, the other combatant resorted back to dodging. However, Inu-Yasha knew the area better and had the figure backing away. His opponent stumbled on a small rock behind him, and fell. At the same time, Inu-Yasha hoisted up the Tetsusaiga and cut downwards. A solid _clang_ resounded in the area as the Tetsusaiga made contact.

            The hanyou looked down in confusion. It shouldn't have made that sound, unless...The half-demon gaped. Crossed with his sword was the blade of the stranger, the two swords crossed about an inch from his throat. Inu-Yasha tried to push further down, while the other man pushed upwards. Neither blade moved.

            _What is going on here? His sword should have broken the moment I hit it!_ Inu-Yasha stared dumbly for a moment as he realized his opponents sword was still intact. _No normal – not even an enchanted sword can withstand the Tetsusaiga when it's powered up like this! What is this?_

            In the faint silver glow his opponent's sword emitted, the half-demon took his time to inspect the other man. He wore a dark green kimono, that much he could see. And there was a wakizashi by his side, strangely carried on the right, instead of on the left along with the katana. He knelt next to the downed man and growled, "Who are you?"

            As the light from the man's blade fell on his face, the hanyou gaped in realization. "Aren't you the guy who came to the village and wanted to marry that bitch Kagura?"

            The man shrugged. "Maybe."

            "Stop playing around!" The hanyou snarled and tried to push down Tetsusaiga further. Somehow, the other man found the strength to resist the force on his sword. "You better explain yourself now, before I kill you."

            "Explain what, Inu-Yasha?" Kagome's voice came from the well's door. The girl slowly walked over to where the two combatants were, and glanced down at the man on the ground. "What happened?"

            "I found this guy lurking around the well. I think he came out of it," Inu-Yasha declared.

            "So, who are you – " Kagome squinted in the dim light. "Weren't you at the village a couple of days ago? You and Kagura? So what are you doing here?"

            "Long story," the man replied.

            "We have lots of time to listen to it," Inu-Yasha said.

            "Yeah, but could you please get that sword off my throat? It gets kinda tiring to have to keep it from cutting me in half."

            The hanyou withdrew his blade, and the stranger stood up and sheathed his weapon. That was when Kagome looked at his clothing, the dark green robes, and the twin swords. She arched an eyebrow. "I have the feeling you'll have a lot to explain. Including why you were in the park three weeks ago."

            As the man brushed off his kimono, he nodded. "Maybe. But maybe it would be better if we discussed this in your own time, Inu-Yasha. This may concern houshi-sama and your taiji-ya friend, as well." Kagome arched an eyebrow. "How would you know Sango and Miroku?"

            The stranger shot them a sad little smile. "It's a long story."


	3. Chapter Three: The Stranger's Story

**Chapter Three: The Stranger's Story**

            Six pairs of eyes stared at the man expectantly. Ryoko stood in the center of Kaede's hut, still dressed in his dark green kimono and yukata, while Inu-Yasha sat next to the door, blocking it. Miroku – the monk  was leaning casually against a wall, his staff within reach across his lap. Sango, the demon huntress, sat cross-legged across from him, while Kagome sat next to Inu-Yasha, Shippo in her lap. Kaede watched from the doorway to the kitchen.

            Ryoko glanced around, then, to everyone's surprise, took off his katana and wakizashi, and handed them to Sango. The taiji-ya glanced at the pro-offered weapons in confusion until she noticed a single ruby inset into the grip of each sword, surrounded by an intricate carving of a dragon. Ryoko could hear her sharp intake of breath that marked her realization, and pulled away, leaving the twin swords in her lap.

            "Are these..." Sango's stare was glued to the swords. Ryoko nodded, albeit Sango didn't notice. "Yes. They are the pair Dójó and Jíhí." Inu-Yasha shot the man a glare. "What does this have to do with anything? Get down to it. You demanded to be brought here to explain yourself, now do so!"

            Ryoko ignored him, and continued looking down at Sango, who in turn couldn't seem to tear her eyes away from the weapons he had given her. Finally, he turned around and looked at each of the other occupants of the room in turn. "My story begins about sixty years ago..."

            _He ran. The demons were hot on his heels, but he clutched the precious mirror to his chest, and ran faster. He nearly tripped over a root, but jumped over it at the last instant. He'd been running for hours, and he was getting tired – the demons behind him, however seemed to be inexhaustible. He finally reached an abandoned old well. As he was running past it, he heard the warcries of a demon hunting party right in front of him. With no where to run, he leapt into the well._

_            Hours later, he woke up to the sunshine burning into his eyes. He glanced up at the sky, and saw it was past midday. Idly, the boy wondered where the demons were – surely they wouldn't have overlooked the well, and they certainly wouldn't have given up. After all, this mirror was of great importance to Naraku. The boy giggled at the thought of the face that the demon lord had made when he realized his treasure was gone._

_            The boy climbed out of the well on a ladder he hadn't noticed before, and froze at the top, nearly falling back down again. What he saw wasn't his world. He saw strange buildings, large huts that looked totally foreign. There were streets, but no horses – instead, some large contraptions lined the sides of the street._

_            Frightened, the boy fully climbed out of the well and surveyed his surroundings. He was relieved when he saw the Japanese characters on a nearby wall that read, "Higurashi Shrine". Wherever he was, the people obviously spoke Japanese. Maybe he could ask them for help. He jerked back when he thought of the mirror he was carrying, and the priestess that had asked him to steal it. Not asked, almost begged. He shook his head violently. He wouldn't trust anyone with it!_

_            "Tadaima!" He heard someone shout, and glanced around to see a man climbing out of one of the large things on the street and opening the door to the house. Out of instinct, the boy ran, and tripped, falling headfirst into the well. When he opened his eyes again, he looked up into the nightsky. With some difficulty, he climbed out and headed for the village, back to the priestess._

_            A woman answered his knock at the front door of the shrine. "Go away, we don't take homeless children!" She shouted. The boy began to grow very angry, but then he heard another voice from inside. "It is all right, Sylvie. Let him in." The maid  reluctantly opened the door and let him in._

_            "Do you have it?" The priestess knelt down next to the boy. "Hai." He nodded. "But...miko-sama...I saw something strange. I ran from the demons, and I fell into a well, not far from here." The priestess arched an eyebrow. "The old Bone Eater's Well?" "Hai. I fell in, and when I climbed back out, I saw another world!"_

_            The priestess's eyebrow vanished under her hair. "What did you say?" She whispered. "I – I saw another world." The priestess nearly gaped. "Come with me boy," she told him. "I need to tell you something."_

_            They finally made it to the back of the temple. On an altar rested a glittering jewel. The priestess rummaged around in the old scrolls until she found what she had been looking for. She motioned the boy to come over, and showed him the scroll. "Can you read it?"_

_            "A little."_

_            "It is an ancient legend that the well into which you fell, is a portal to another world. Rather, another time." She pointed at the jewel. "Do you see that? It's the Shikon no Tama, the Jewel of the Four Souls. It can be used to grant any wish, and therefore we must protect it from demons."_

_            The boy still stared at her in confusion. "There is a prophecy here underneath the legend," she began to read,_

_            "Both in times to come,_

_            And in times long ago,_

_            Those of unjust nature_

_            Seek the Soul Jewel._

_            And as to subterfuge_

_            Falls a valiant love,_

_            Darkness shall fall_

_            Upon the Tama._

_            Until, from another world_

_            Comes the heir of the Tama_

_            Through the lair of the_

_            Devourer of Man._

_            To liberate a wronged soul_

_            To guard the Tama,_

_            And a quest to find_

_            Both it and themselves._

_            But deceit has not been _

_            Vanquished, though now,_

_            Both worlds face danger_

_            From one who seeks the Tama._

_            And one will have to trespass_

_            The sacred ground and free a soul_

_            And protect the heir where the_

_            Guradian could not."_

_While she was reading, a faint aura had begun to glow around the priestess, growing stronger and more intense with every moment she read of the prophecy. Finally, she slumped to the ground, obviously exhausted. After resting for a moment, she stood back up and faced the boy. "I do believe fate has greater plans for you." The boy stared at her with large eyes that bore both hope and fear._

Ryoko glanced around the room again. Everyone seemed to be listening intently, and for a moment he was reminded of a travelling storyteller. He chuckled dryly. It would indeed have been the perfect job for him. Be took a deep breath and continued with his story.

_He cried out in pain as the youkai's claw stabbed through his leg, and jammed his lance upwards, trying desperately to pry the demon off him. He half-succeeded in his task and hit the demon fatally. Unfortunately, it collapsed right on top of him._

_The young man's mind swirled as the wind was knocked out of him and the blood loss began to take its toll. He knew he wouldn't get out of this demon ambush alive, but he'd give them one heck of a fight. If he only could get this youkai off him...The last thing he heard before surrendering to blackness was a hissing sound and a demon's roar._

_When he woke up, he found himself in a simple straw mat bed. He wondered how he got there. The door opened, and a man stepped through. He immediately recognized the black battlegarb of a tayji-ya, a demon hunter. The man smiled at him. He had a thick mop of black hair, and sharp, angled cheekbones, and bore a demeanor that commanded authority. "Good. You're up. You had us worried there for a while."_

_"How long...?" _

_The tayji-ya chuckled. "You've been out for nearly two weeks. What were you thinking, taking on a horde of youkai on your own like that?"_

_The young man on the coat mumbled, "Was an ambush...where am I?"_

_"You're in the tayji-ya village. You're safe here."_

_"Thanks..." the young man's strength was fading quickly, and he laid down on the mat as he felt the dizziness again. "You better lay down and rest for a while. I'll tell the others you're better." The tayji-ya smiled and left._

_When he woke up a second time, it was noon. Slowly, he supported himself on the wall to get up, then staggered out of the hut into the open. The sun was shining not too brightly, but comfortably. He looked around and saw people – even women and children – either busy making weapons, or practicing their use._

_A little tug on his kimono leg caused him to look down at a little girl with long black hair. "Hi! Who are you?"_

_He smiled slightly and bent down. "My name's Ryoko. And who are you?"_

_"I'm Sango. Are you a demon hunter, too?"_

_"Not exactly. I'm...I used to be the guardian of a shrine, until the priestess got killed. I've been wandering ever since." He winced as he remembered the demon attack on the village almost fifty years earlier. Most of the people in the village had gotten away, but the now elderly priestess who had raised him had insisted on staying and fighting the demons. _

_Naraku himself had killed her, right before his eyes, and he had been powerless to stop it. Now, he glanced down at himself. He looked only barely older – the effect of the little bit of demon blood he had inherited from his grandfather._

_"Now, Sango, please let our guest rest," the voice of the demon hunter came from behind them. Ryoko whirled around and winced at the pain in his leg and ribs. "It's good to see you recovered well enough to be up," he said. _

_Ryoko nodded. "Thank you for taking care of my wounds."_

_"I figure I should introduce myself – my name is Himamoto," the man smiled fondly at the little girl who had gone off._

_"You're her father?" Ryoko asked, only minimally surprised. He should have noticed the resemblance sooner._

_"Yes."_

_Ryoko smiled. "She's a nice child."_

_"I'd like to know again why the youkai attacked you. It's not everyday they attack a hapless temple guardian turned wanderer."_

_Ryoko nodded. "Of course. My name is Eien Ryoko. I've been a temple guard at a village quite a while from here for a long time. Then, the demons attacked. More specifically, that demon bastard Naraku attacked, and killed the priestess. He was about to kill me when she fired her last purifying arrow into his arm and told me to run. And I did. Now, I have no idea why the youkai would attack me, except that they wanted to finish their job."_

_"How long ago was that?"_

_"Too long ago, and not nearly long enough."_

_Ryoko remained at the tayji-ya village, and trained as one. He rose through their ranks quickly, and nearly ten years after his arrival, he walked the fields of the village. It was then when a girl with long black hair ran up to him. He smiled. "Hey, Sango." He glanced down fondly at his student. He'd been teaching her in the arts of Iai, the swordfighting art of the tayji-ya._

_The girl squealed in delight and jumped at him. "You're back! How was the demon? Tell me all about it!" She demanded in a flurry of words. Ryoko smiled and glanced past her, at her father standing a little away. He, too, was smiling._

_Ryoko set Sango down and started walking to the village. She pulled on his kimono, and he bent down. "Wanna know a secret?" She asked._

_"Sure. But are you sure you can trust me with it?" He smiled teasingly._

_"If you tell it, I will kill you!" She replied, equally teasing._

_"All right, I don't want the wrath of the mighty Sango. I promise I won't tell anyone!" Ryoko laughed._

_She leaned up to his ear. "When I'm grown up, I'm going to marry you!" She giggled and ran away, leaving a confused demon hunter to stand on the field._

_"What the..." His gaze followed her. He shook his head. Nah. It probably was just that infatuation thing children go through. He had grown fond of her, though, and had been officially accepted as the "uncle" of the family. He smiled at the thought, and resumed his walk._

_Ryoko was about to leave the village through the gates with his three comrades when Sango ran up to him. "Oji-san! Wait!" He glanced back at the girl. "What is it, Sango?"_

_He noticed the oversize bundle that was nearly as tall as the girl. She handed the cloth wrapped bundle to him. "Here! They bring you luck!" Ryoko carefully opened the bundle, and stared in amazement. Inside were a pair of swords, a matching set of katana and wakizashi. They were simple, except for the top of their hilts, which were decorated with a single ruby and a dragon carving wrapping around the gemstone._

_"I picked the stones myself! And then I helped put the charms on it!" Sango beamed. The tayji-ya gaped at the swords. They were simple, but they radiated power so strongly that even with the rudimentary skills he had acquired during his stay with the priestess he could sense it._

_"They're beautiful..." he whispered. "Come back soon, Oji-san!" Sango smiled at him as he nodded and turned around, leaving with his three comrades. He replaced his own katana with the one in the set, and placed the wakizashi alongside it. He drew the blades and read the inscriptions on each one. One read, "Dójó", while the other said "Jíhí". Compassion and Mercy. He smiled and continued to walk._

_The battle was fierce. Two of his three comrades were dead at the hand of the four youkai before them, and the last was badly wounded. Ryoko slashed his sword at the demon, causing it to back off. He reversed his grip and backstabbed, catching the demon behind him. "Run! Tell the village!" He yelled at the other man._

_"I'm not leaving!"_

_"Baka! Run! I'll hold them off!" He yelled before drawing the wakizashi and hurling himself into the middle of the youkai. He felt a searing pain as a claw went through his arm, and he dropped the katana. Switching his grip on the short sword, he swung it around to ward off the youkai ineffectively. He felt a searing pain as a claw stabbed through his back, then nothing._

Ryoko's gaze was focused on Sango now, as was everyone else's. Her eyes were filling with tears, and Ryoko averted his gaze.

"The man returned," she whispered. "Eight years ago, the man came back and told us that he had seen the three of you killed by the demons." Sango broke out into sobs. Ryoko stared around helplessly, until his eyes found Miroku's. The monk arched an eyebrow, then moved over to the tayji-ya and put a comforting arm around her.

"What happened then?" Kagome asked.

"Well, the demons left me for dead – again. When I woke up, I was in the middle of the woods, and it was deep at night. I collected my weapons, and trekked to the neares village. I didn't want to return to the tayji-ya village. I realized that these demons had not been sent by Naraku, and that someone finally had tracked me down, so I decided not to put them at risk. I left after a short stop in a village and travelled around again."

He looked back at Sango. She was clutching the two swords in a death grip. "Until I heard that the hanyou who had been resting near the Bone Eater's well had been reawakened, and the Shikon no Tama had been shattered, and that the tayji-ya village had been ravaged by Naraku." He took a deep breath. "I realized the prophecy was coming true piece by piece, and that I had to return to the Bone Eater's well. I did so several times. I knew you were well protected here, so I went through and set myself up in your time. And when the attack came, I jumped in."

"What about Kagura?" Kagome asked.

"When I returned shortly, I realized Naraku had bound countless souls as his servants. I don't know, but somehow, something drew me to her. She is not all that bad, you know." 

They had gone to bed, however, there were two people in the hut who couldn't relax into the comfortable oblivion. One was curled up outside under the Go-Shinboku. The other turned and tossed in his bed until he decided it was futile, and left for a walk.

As he passed by the sacred tree, he noticed a lone figure sitting underneath it. Ryoko went over to Sango. She was frightening him. She just sat there, staring into nothingness, his swords still clutched against her chest. He knelt down next to her and looked at the stars for a moment, before turning to face her. "They're beautiful, aren't they?"

When he didn't get an answer, he gently lifted her cheek and turned her face around. "Sango." She stared at him blankly. The look only lasted for a moment, before she turned away again and broke out into tears. He stared at her helplessly for a moment, then collected her up in his arms and gently rocked her, as he had done so many times, so many years ago.

The tayji-ya calmed down soon, and he could hear her whisper, "Why did you leave? Why didn't you come back?" He gently stroked her long hair. "I didn't want you to get hurt. Naraku had been hunting me for fourty years, and he destroyed two of the villages I had been in. I couldn't risk putting you in that danger. And I knew the person who sent those youkai was even more powerful than he was. I didn't want to risk it."

He sighed and thought back to the battle in the woods. "And when they left me for dead, I wanted them to believe that. I took a different name, and started wandering again. I'm sorry I left you alone, but you had your family..." As the demon huntress in his arms started to sob again, he grimaced. "I meant it, you know," she finally murmured.

"Meant what?" Ryoko glaced down at her in confusion.

"When I told you I would marry you. I meant it. I loved you."

He froze. She'd been just fifteen back then, how could it be possible...?

"I gave you those swords because I thought they would protect you, and because they linked us together," she whisepered, drawing her own katana. He glanced at the hilt. It had the exact same design as his weapons. "You know, they did save my life more times than I can remember." He smiled slightly. "Wanna know a secret?" He whispered, bending down to her ear.

"Sure. But are you sure you can trust me with it?" She asked. He chuckled, and it was Sango's turn to stare at him in confusion. "What's so funny?"

"Remember that time when I came back from a hunt and you waited for me in the fields, and told me a secret? I was saying the exact same words." She grinned. "If you tell anyone, I'll have to kill you," he continued.

"All right, I won't tell," she pormised, crossing two fingers.

"I loved you, too, back then."

"WAAAH! Hentai!" She sprang up and started chasing him around. Ryoko laughed and ran in circles around the Go-Shinboku, until Sango stopped and turned around. He ran right into her. She tackled him to the ground and started tickling him playfully. They collapsed, laughing.

"I missed that," he told her. 

"Yeah. Me, too."

After a moment of comfortable silence, she broke it. "Do you still...?"

"Love you?" He considered. "I guess so. But...in a different way. It's been a long time, and we both moved on. I don't want to come in between your new life here. Especially not with your new love."

"WHAT?"

Ryoko chuckled. "It's obvious you have some feelings for that monk. You've never been a good liar, Sango." She blushed a deep red at the comment. "And especially with your new wife," Sango changed the subject. "Where is she, anyway? It's not like you to simply abandon someone."

"I left here at a safe place, away from Naraku." He sighed. "Maybe I shouldn't have come back."

"Don't say that." She snuggled up close. "It's good to see you again."

"Hey, don't do that, or your boyfriend will get jealous!" At her malicious smile, he gulped. She pinned him down and started a tickling fight again.

"I give up! I surrender!" Ryoko finally panted. "You are evil, you know that, Sango?" She grinned. "I learned from the best." 

They sat there for the rest of the night, staring up at the stars, reminiscing about the past. A pleasant past, now that both thought about it. Ryoko stared at the stars above him. One of the quests he had left unfinished from his past was done. Now, all that was left to fix was destiny. 


	4. Chapter Four: Future's Enemy, Part II

**Chapter Four: Future's Enemy, Part II**

            Kagome grinned as she looked out of the window of her room. She had managed to persuade Inu-Yasha to let her come back to her time. Sure, the hanyou had insisted that he accompany her, but she was fine with that. After all, she had experienced that she was in danger – even in her time. However, even Ryoko had told her he would come along. He had said he needed to check on Kagura.

            The girl grinned wider as she thought about Ryoko and Kagura living in her time. It would be quite...amusing, judging from what Inu-Yasha had gone through when he had first come to visit her. She stretched her back and turned back to her ridiculously large backpack. She crammed one more mathbook into it, then closed it and slung it over her shoulder.

            She could see Inu-Yasha sitting next to the door, waiting for her. She smiled slightly at the sight of the gruff hanyou, then covered it up quickly as he turned to look in her direction. "Are you finally ready, girl?"

            She nodded and followed him out of the house. They hadn't gone fifty feet from the house when the bushes started to rustle and youkai started to appear from the growing shadows of the setting sun. Kagome yelped in surprise and shock, while Inu-Yasha growled and drew the Tetsusaiga.

            The youkai closed in, and he swung at them, trying to get them out of the way. But it was at least another hundred feet to the well, and while he might make it, Kagome wouldn't. He thought of carrying her and jumping out of the ambush for a moment, but then considered her backpack. Impossible. He snarled as he hit the first demon, then turned to face the next. 

            Suddenly, the half-demon could hear a roar of surprise and anger from the other side of the mass of demons. He looked up just in time to see a silver blade flashing and cutting one of the youkai neatly in half. Inu-Yasha sustained his swings until he saw Ryoko whirling through the midst of the demons surrounding him with apparent ease, cleaving through them with his sword.

            They eventually ended up on either side of Kagome, dishing out blows to any youkai that was foolish enough to come too close to them. Yet, for every one they struck down, two more seemd to pour out of the well. _The well?_ Inu-Yasha thought. _We won't be able to return through there!_

            Ryoko seemed to have had the same thought. "We'll need to clear a path to the well, and then clear the well itself," he said. As they fought, Inu-Yasha glanced sideways at the other man, and marvelled at the apparent ease with which he seemed to fight and evade the youkais' blows. _Impressive, for a mortal._

            He struck out, twirled his blade around his back to block a youkai's swipe, then brought it crashing down on a third demon. Ryoko glanced around. There were still too many left alive. He felt something at his back, and spared a glance. It was Inu-Yasha. They had ended up back to back. From his position, Ryoko had a clear glimpse of the well for a second, and he noticed no other demons were emerging. "Run!" He shouted. "I'll hold them off! Inu-Yasha, take Kagome to the well!"

            He slashed horizontally, then reversed his grip on his sword and backstabbed, gutting the youkai that had tried to sneak up behind him. _And they're ugly, too. Man, if I ever find out who sent them, I'll have to give him a lesson in style and appeareance,_ Ryoko mused as he ducked beneath a claw swipe. He could see Inu-Yasha taking Kagome by her hand and trying to fight his way through the demon horde. 

            Ryoko lifted Compassion – his katana - to his side and concentrated. "_Kaji no Ha_," he chanted and slashed to his right. The cutting edge of his blade glowed for a moment, and a blade of fire swept out from it, reducing everything in its path to ash. The flaming blade stopped after a few feet, but the way for Inu-Yasha and Kagome was mostly clear. Ryoko saw them approaching the well before a new wave of demons swept in.

            Inu-Yasha heard Ryoko's call and swept his gaze across the mass of demons before them. He knew the human was right, but he was supposed to go through _that_? He had no doubts that he could do it, but while having to protect Kagome...He hefted the Tetsusaiga with his right hand, and took Kagome by her wrist with his left, then rushed forward. It was worth a try.

            As the hanyou saw the well move closer, he flinched as a blade of searing heat passed between him and the well, sweeping away the demons that stood between them. He ran for the well, hauling Kagome onto his back. When they finally reached the safety of the old structure, he turned around and prepared to go back into the fray. He had to help out that human, lest he get himself killed in one of those foolish acts of "bravery" mortals seemed to pull off every so often.

            Ryoko rolled to the side and stabbed, Compassion piercing through the youkai in front of him. He swept the blade low, cutting the feet from beneath another, and came up, blocking a blow that would have torn him open from shoulder to hip. Slashing diagonally with his sword, he killed the demon. Flicking his wrist he sent the blade through a demon's throat, decapitating it. However, before he could withdraw the sword, he felt pain shoot through his body.

            He tensed as the wave of pain swept over him, and collapsed to one knee, bracing himself on his sword.

            Inu-Yasha saw the demon stab one of its claws through Ryoko's hip, and a second claw into his back. The human collapsed to one knee, and Inu-Yasha knew what would happen the moment the youkai lifted its clawed hand over its head.

            The hanyou snarled as he rushed in, futilely hoping to reach the youkai in time as it brought its hand down on the downed fighter. He wouldn't make it in time.

            "_Fuujin no Mai_," a voice shouted from above, and dozens of nearly invisible blades rained from the sky, slicing the demon and the ones next to it to pieces. Inu-Yasha looked up and saw Kagura floating in the air, in her traditional white and purple sakura kimono, her red eyes flashing.

            Ryoko glanced upwards and saw Kagura floating in the air pn her giant white feather. She leapt down and whirled through the mass of demons, her fighting fan moving almost too fast for the human eye to see. He lifted himself to his feet, supporting his weight mostly with his katana. He sheathed the weapon and used it as a cane, then withdrew Mercy, his wakizashi. He felt a little dizzy, and knew he had to get out of this fray.

            He noticed the youkai's rows were thinning out, mostly thanks to Kagura's – and now Inu-Yasha's – attacks, and decided to make a run for it when a demon leapt into his way. Ryoko groaned. "Aw, come on! Get out of my way!" The demon snarled and charged. In his state with his pierced hip unable to sustain his weight, Ryoko wasn't able to dodge in time, and the demon rammed into him, tackling him to the ground.

            Before the youkai could react, however, Ryoko had rammed the blade of his sword into its belly, gutting it. He tried to roll out from underneath it before it collapsed on him, and ended up at the foot of another one. Groping around for his katana, he swung Mercy and managed to deflect most of the blows the second demon was aiming at him.

            His hand finally touched the cool wood of Compassion's scabbard, and he brought it up and around, flicking his wrist to release the blade from the sheath. Before the blade could make contact with the demon, however, his vision grew fuzzy and he felt his grip on his sword weaken. The blade dropped back to the ground and he flopped back. The demon was about to strike, but something else cut him into pieces. Ryoko glanced up and saw Kagura standing there, fan in hand, smiling lopsidedly.

            _Whoa there. Didn't think that was possible for Ms. "Don't mess with me". Looks kinda nice on her, though._ She grabbed hold of his arm and hoisted him up.

            Kagura watched detachedly as she went through her combat movements, honed by the years of practice and fighting against Inu-Yasha – who now, incidentally, was fighting alongside her. She spared a glance at the hanyou, and saw he was preoccupied with chopping demons to pieces. For once, she was glad he was that powerful.

            The wind demon inhaled sharply as she saw Ryoko on the ground, rolling from under a dead demon, reaching for his sword. The demon that towered over him prepared for a slash, and Kagura released another of her wind blades at it, slicing it into tiny pieces. She rushed over to where her husband lay and hauled him to his feet by his arm. _Where did that __come from? Since when did I start thinking of him as my husband? The woman idly wondered, then supported Ryoko as they fought their way through the demon horde._

            Quickly surveying his injuries, she noticed his thigh was bleeding profusely from a cut where a demon had rammed its claws through him. That and a minor cut at his ribs were what caused her to worry. She knew he was one-eighth demon, but that meant that his rate of healing was only one-eighth that of a full youkai. He was recovering, albeit slowly. He would live – if he survived the severe blood loss.

            She noted with a tinge of satisfaction that Inu-Yasha seemed to have noticed them, and was heading their way, clearing a neat path between them with the Tetsusaiga. When they reached the well, she glanced down at Ryoko. His breathing was shallow, and sweat glistened on his forehead. She swallowed hard. This was not good. His eyes were closed as well, and she didn't know if he was still awake.

            Not waiting for any of them, the half-demon hauled them both over his shoulder and leapt down the well, following Kagome.

            Once they leapt out of the well, Kagura let out a sigh of relief. In Sengoku Jidai she felt at home. It might be a dangerous era, but at least here she knew what she was facing – unlike Kagome's time. She sighed. She didn't know how the people survived there. If possible, it seemed even _more_ dangerous over there.

            Her joy at safety was short-lived, though. Once all of them had come through the well and were leaving it for Kaede's village, a voice snarled, "Hand over the Shikon on Tama, or the life of the priestess who is with you!" A shadow started manifesting before them, slowly taking a humanoid shape. Its eyes were glowing a dark red, even darker than her own, and its entire shadowy body seemed to humm with magical energy. "Hand them over, or meet your end!" When she whirled around she saw demons were crawling all over the place. Inu-Yasha growled beside her. "Not a chance in hell!" The wind demon shot a quick glance down at Ryoko. He looked pale and was panting heavily, but at least he seemed awake now. He also seemed to realize that they couldn't get away. The shadow laughed and vanished.

            Inu-Yasha slowly backed away from the advancing wall of demons, shielding Kagome from them, until he noticed that they were surrounded. He swore under his breath and drew the Tetsusaiga. _We might be able to kill them, but we'll also have Kagome and Ryoko to worry about. The hanyou shook his head. This was bad._

            He quickly cast a glance at the wounded man, and nearly gaped. As if he had read his thoughts, Ryoko was struggling to his feet, shaking off the arm Kagura had around his shoulder and drew Compassion. He swayed on his feet for a moment before he steadied himself. The hanyou also noted Kagura shooting a concerned glance at him. If they hadn't been in such a bad position, he would have laughed. Who would have thought that the demonic bitch who fought them so often could have a caring side?

            Kagome moved up to stand beside him. "I can help," she told him and gripped her bow firmly in her right hand. The four stood shoulder-to-shoulder, facing into four directions. The demons charged with a roar.

            This fight wasn't nearly like the last one. The last one had been a brutal frontal attack from one side. Now, the demons were swarming them from every direction. Inu-Yasha snarled and swung the Tetsusaiga as fast as he could, cutting down the demons. Carcasses were piling up in front of him, yet the assault didn't seem to relent. "_Kaze no Kizu!" He shouted, hurling his giant sword at the youkai. The blade released the built-up energy in a large blast of wind energy into the mass of demons, cutting through them and blasting them all the way back._

            Kagura twirled her fighting fan around and stabbed one of the demons before her through its chest, then retracted it and let it fall open, blocking a clawed attack from another youkai. She ducked, then kicked out and sent the offending demon into three others. The wind demon gave a little satisfied smile. "_Fuujin no Mai!" She chanted, slashing her fan through the air rapidly. The resulting wind blades combined with her magic devastated the oncoming demon mass. Still, more kept coming. She spared a glance at Ryoko. She knew he wasn't in a good condition, yet he had still managed to shake off her support and was holding his ground. She secretly admired his determination and inner strength. And she feared that he might not make it out alive._

            Kagome hefted her bow and aimed carefully, until she realized the youkai ranks were so thick she didn't even have to aim. She let fly with her purifying arrows, keeping the youkai at bay. Her hand went to her quiver and felt around for the next arrow. _Uh-oh. She realized she had used them all. Looking at the advancing demons, she gulped and swung her bow, knocking one over the head and stunning a second. Unlike the others, however, her blows had neither enough force, nor enough speed to seriously hurt the youkai. She was quickly swarmed with demons and screamed. "INU-YASHA!"_

            Ryoko could barely stand, but he knew they had to fight this one out. He swung Compassion ineffectively at the oncoming demons for a while, then decided to switch to his shorter sword. Drawing the lighter wakizashi, he parried a demon's lunge, and countered with a thrust of the katana he still held in his other hand. His grip on the sword weakened, and as the youkai fell back in its death spasms, it took the sword with it. Starting to feel the strain, Ryoko took a deep breath to steady himself. His vision grew fuzzy again, and he was starting to see red creep into his vision. He shook his head to clear it, never once stopping to parry and attack the youkai. _Must not black out now. Not now!_ He thought. He brought Mercy up above his head and focused, letting his instincts take over the motions that had become so familiar over the years. "_Hono no Kabe_," Ryoko chanted, the tip of Mercy glowing in a place silver light that quickly spread over the entire length of the blade. He cut downwards, and a wall of magical fire shot out from the sword. Each youkai it struck seemed to magically vanish.

            "How...?" Kagura had glanced sideways to look how Ryoko was doing, just in time to watch the barrage of fire cut through the demon ranks. He smiled at her. She could see the exhaustion on his face, but now they had a little breathing space. "Purifying magical fire. One of the nicer tricks I learned from a priestess." They both whirled around at Kagome's scream, and saw her being buried under a pile of youkai. Ryoko was rushing towards her, but Inu-Yasha had beat him to it. The hanyou was marching through the demons, cutting left and right, attempting to reach the girl. He didn't want to risk firing off the _Kaze no Kizu_ – it might hit Kagome as well.

            Before he could reach her, though, the shadowy figure appeared again. It called out, and the demons pulled back. Despite its noncorporeal appeareance, it still managed to haul the downed Kagome from the ground. It turned its gaze towards the other three. Inu-Yasha was glaring at him, seemingly ready to charge. "Let her down!" He demanded.

            A shiver went down Kagura's back. Whatever was in front of them was radiating raw power and evil so strongly that she had the urge to vomit. She saw Ryoko shudder, as well. _Of course. His training as a temple guardian probably sensitized him towards evil. She moved to stand slightly behind and to the left of Inu-Yasha._

            "We have what we came for. Kill them," the figure said, its tone a deep rumble.

            Despite his wounds, Ryoko managed to haul himself back to his feet from where he had collapsed once the youkai had been called back. "Not in this life!" He shouted. The shadow seemed familiar. Ryoko desperately searched his memory, but he couldn't conjure up more than the fuzzy image of a young man with long flaming red hair and elegant features. Yet, there was some connection between them, one that Ryoko felt on a subconscious level.

            "_Hono no Kabe_!" The shadow's focus shifted from the two people in front of him to the man standing in the back. Kagura and Inu-Yasha whirled around. Ryoko had gotten back to his feet and stood, his wakizashi lifted high above his head, glowing with magical energy. Ryoko brought the blade down in a sweeping arc that was aimed at a slight angle to his left. The wall of silver fire that extended from the blade grew and envenloped the youkai that were getting ready to attack again, evaporating them. The swordsman turned to face the shadow. 

            "Impressive," it said. Inu-Yasha snarled and ran at it, but bounced off a magical ward before he was within range. Kagura jumped out of the way as she heard Ryoko charge up his purifying fire again, and grabbed the downed hanyou by his sleeve. The second blast of the magical fire was nowhere near as impressive as the first one, but it seemed to cut through the barrier the shadow had erected.

            "Impressive, indeed," the shadow commented again, and pointed at Ryoko. A darker version of Ryoko's fire flashed out, whip-like, and wrapped around the human, who tried to cut through it with his sword. The shadow laughed, then stopped as it realized the human in its grip was chanting again.

            "_Seijakou no Kabe_!" Ryoko shouted, striking downwards with Mercy. The resulting magical shield cut neatly through the dark energy tentacle, and Ryoko dropped to the ground, exhausted. He leaned on his sword and directed a glare at the shadow. Before any of them could do anything else, it faded, taking Kagome along with it.


	5. Chapter Five: Friends and Allies

**Chapter Five: Friends and Allies.**

            Inu-Yasha sat in a tree and sulked. He usually wasn't one to sit around when there was something that needed to be done, but this time, he had absolutely no clue where to even start. Kagome had been kidnapped – that wass all they knew. By whom, for what, and why, was all a gigantic unknown factor. He wasn't the only one who was depressed, though. Ryoko was sitting beside him, deep in thought.

            The half-demon glanced over at the other man. He wondered idly what he had to do with the entire mess they had gotten into. If he recalled it right, it was his arrival that had started it all. He growled. And now Kagome was gone. Inu-Yasha felt the overwhelming urge to kill something. He swallowed it back and. That wouldn't help Kagome. He hated to admit it, but he liked to have the girl around. He found himself becoming increasingly aware of her absence everytime she left, and me missed her presence. It made him feel complete. Which made it all the more frustrating that she was gone, and he could do nothing to help her.

            Ryoko sighed and got up. He decided that going for a walk might be able to soothe his mind and distract him from the guilt he felt welling up in his guts that he hadn't been able to save the girl. As his feet took him deeper into the forest that was adjacent to Kaede's village, it started to grow dark. He didn't care. He had his swords, and although both Kaede and Sango had told him to rest, he felt perfectly capable of taking on a demon, should need be.

            The man sighed again. What was that recurring flash of memory that he had experienced ever since he had seen the shadowy figure? He knew he had met the person before, but it seemed...wrong, of a sort. As if the person he remembered wasn't the person he was remembering seeing. He shook his head. It didn't make sense – yet, at the same time, it did, strangely.

            He tried to conjure up the image again. All he got was the long, fiery red hair and a fuzzy image of the face. He couldn't tie it to a name, though, despite his attempts. Finally, he just gave up and leaned against a tree trunk. He _was _feeling a little pain in the leg the demon had stabbed him in. _Ah, I should have listened to Sango when she told me to stay in the village. Unbeknown to him, a figure was watching._

            "Where's Ryoko?" Sango asked. She had been looking for her friend all over the village, unsuccessfully. "I think he left for the forest," Miroku said. "He looked like he needed some time alone." The monk emphasized, hoping she would get the idea. The demon huntress didn't, however, and left the village. Kagura was following her.

            "Eien Ryoko, it has been quite a while."

            Ryoko spun around to face the intruder to his solitude. "Naraku. What do you what? I don't have the shard anymore."

            "Tsk, tsk, tsk. It's only been fifty years, and you already lost my property?" The other man grinned beneath his baboon pelt. "But it is not the shards I have come for. I know that that girl has them, and that neither you nor Inu-Yasha can find her." He chuckled. Ryoko just glared. "Then what do you want, Naraku? I assume you didn't come to confess it was _you_ who kidnapped her."

            "Indeed, it wasn't me." The figure removed its pelt, and before Ryoko stood a striking young man with long, flowing black hair and aristocratic features. "What I wanted to talk to you about is more of a...personal nature."

            Ryoko arched an eyebrow at the other man. "So what? You've come to kill me again?" Naraku shook his head. "No. I came to talk about Kagura."

            Taking a deep breath and tried to swallow the lump that had appeared in his throat, Ryoko glanced at the half-demon. "What about her?"

            "I know what you did. Did you think I would not notice my influence over her swindling away? Still, I know that now, only killing you can return her to my service." Ryoko stared at Naraku. "So you _have _come to try to kill me."

            "No." Ryoko arched an eyebrow at the other man. "I am not here to harm you," Ryoko snorted, and the half-demon continued. "I have to warn you that magical processes are in progress, the likes of which I have never seen, nor can I comprehend them. They are far too powerful for even me to control, and involve the single element that is out of every mortals control – time."

            "What is that supposed to mean?"

            "It means, that Inu-Yasha's girl is in great danger, and that it probably has something to do with you," Naraku told him. "It also means that even I am powerless to stop it. Whatever is happening, you are the cause, and you are probably the solution to the problem."

            "Why warn us?" Ryoko asked.

            Naraku gave him a toothy smile. "Simple. I want to live to see the day I gain all the shards of the Shikon no Tama." With that, the demon retreated into the baboon pelt again, and leapt off, leaving a confused Ryoko behind.

            "There you are! We've been looking for you all over the place!" Sango shouted as she spotted Ryoko. The man was leaning against a tree, still in the same position he had been in when Naraku had left. When she noticed his absent stare, the demon huntress shot him a worried look. "What's wrong?"

            When he didn't respond, she waved a hand in front of his face. He still didn't react, and seemed lost in deep thought. She sighed. "Men..."

            _It's my fault...? How? What do I have to do with the power of the magic that is cast?_ Ryoko's mind was a flurry of random thoughts, all boiling down to, _How can I fix what's done? It seemed that it actually _had_ been his fault Kagome had been kidnapped, and he didn't like that thought in the least._

            He sighed and, for the first time, noticed Sango was standing right in front of him, her hand waving up and down in front of his face. "Uh...could you please stop that? It's making me dizzy," he told her. The tayji-ya jumped at his sudden snap back to the world of the living.

            "You had me worried there for a moment," she told him.

            "Naraku was here." The two of them spun around. "Kagura? What do you mean?"

            "I can feel it. Naraku was here." The wind demon moved to stad with them.

            Sango turned around. "Hmm..."

            "What did he tell you?"

            Ryoko glanced at his wife. "Nothing."

            "And he didn't try to kill you? That's...unusual for Naraku," Kagura replied. "I wonder why he would go to the trouble to come and find us?"

            Ryoko shook his head. "I don't know. Come on, let's head back," he offered, not wanting to let this conversation drift any further. He needed some time to think without them asking him questions for which he had no answer.

            The night sky was twinkling with stars. It was so peaceful here, Ryoko thought. He tried to compare the vista to Kagome's time. Although he had only spent a short time over in the future, he had seen that the lights from the city were nearly blbaking out the stars. Yet...the city lights had also held something mystical, something...magical, like the stars. He winced as that brought him back to the one topic he dreaded. _Kagome._ She had been gone for three days now, and they hadn't found a single clue to where she might be. He knew Inu-Yasha was especially upset. The hanyou might not admit it, but he cared for the girl.

            Ryoko hadn't told anyone about his encounter with Naraku. He had let Sango and Kagura speculate – eventually, they had exhausted their fill of theories about why the demon would come to see him, and left the topic alone. Ryoko thought back to what Naraku had told him. _Magical processes are in progress, the likes of which I have never seen. They are far too powerful for me to control, and involve the one element no mortal can control – time. _

            What was that supposed to mean? What did he have to do with time? There couldn't be such powerful magic, could there? He shuddered at the though of what a demon like Naraku would do witht he power to control time. It wasn't a pretty picture. Ryoko perked up as he heard something. He propped one eye open and rolled out of the way of the lightning bolt that smashed into the ground where he had been laying.

            "What in the seven hells??" He jumped to his feet and dodged another bolt, trying to identify his attacker. All he could see was a shade in the darkness, only highlighted by the dim starlight. He swore as another bolt came too close to hitting for his liking, and ran for the place where he had dropped his weapons.

            A lighting bolt was faster than he was and threw the two swords high into the air – luckily for him, his ooponent hadn't aimed very well, and the katana dropped almost right into his outstretched hands. Ryoko drew the sword, and in its eerie silver glow he finally managed to make out more of his attacker's features. He could see the other man – whatever, or whoever it was, was definitely male – was wearing a long dark cloak with a hood that also covered his head. The posture seemed somewhat familiar.

            The fight at the well flashed in his head. It _was _that guy! Ryoko snarled and hurled himself at his attacker. He barely avoided hitting another of the bolts, then slashed his sword at the other man. He seemed to slice through thin air. Although he recovered quickly, he wasn't fast enough to dodge the next lighting bolt that struck and slammed him into the nearest tree.

            Ryoko groaned as he opened his eyes again. His attacker was still coming on, and Ryoko realized he still had his sword in hand. He slashed at the other person, only to hit thin air again.  Ryoko srambled away from the tree as another boplt smashed into it.. He could hear shouting from the village. How could anyone not notice the fight going on? Ryoko swore as he realized that he had hesitated a moment too long, the next bolt skimmed across the back of his hand, and sent his katana Compassion flying away.

            Before either of them could react, a voice roared, "_Kaze no Kizu_!" A blast of energy cut into the fight, blasting into the attacker. For a moment, Ryoko's mind flashed with the image of a memory – a young man with long, flaming red hair sitting at a table, laughing, The same man swinging a sword in practice, and ...dead? Ryoko shook off his confusion and dove for his blade. Inu-Yasha, Sango, Miroku and Kagura were doing a good job of distracting it enough for him to collect his weapons. When he leapt back into the fight, the figure just stood there and laughed. "_Fools_," it hissed. "_You cannot stop me anymore_..." With that, it vanished into thin air.

            "What in the world??" Inu-Yasha thundered. "It was an illusion, Kagura informed the rest of them. "He was never really here at all. He had a phantom fight for him." A flash of light caught Ryoko's attention out of the corner of his eye. He turned and saw a portal swirling open. It crackled with magical energy, and ino one in the village had enough power to open a protal. 

            The others seemed to have noticed the portal, as well, and were moving to inspect it. With a flash of horror, Ryoko ralized the portal was closing. Unheeding of the others' protests, he leapt into it.

            When Kagura and Inu-Yasha tried to follow him, they found the vortex had already closed... 


	6. Chapter Six: History, Revealed

**Chapter Six: History, Revealed.**

            Ryoko turned around. He was in the woods, and it was dark. Suddenly, he saw fire flare up behind the treeline. He raced for it as soon as he could see the red flames licking up into the night. He heard the familiar sounds of a village under siege, and swore. _Not this time, you don't! As he neared the beleagured town, realization struck him. This wasn't the present – he was in the past. This was Kaede's village, sixty years ago. He grunted in anger. __I won't let you kill her this time!_

            As he charged out of the treeline into a line of youkai, he drew his sword Compassion and went for a killing blow. Just as the blade touched the demon, the wolrd faded to gray, and he felt dizzyness overcome him.

            When he opened his eyes again, he wasn't outside the village anymore. He recognized the place immediately. It was the place of his fondest memories, and the place of his darkest nightmares. He saw a demon holding on to the priestess, squeezing the life out of her. He saw her fire one last arrow before succumbing to the onslaught of the youkai. Wtih a savage roar, Ryoko launched himself into the midst of the youkai, slashing left and right. His weapon seemed to have no effect, and the youkai kept coming.

            He heard a cry of pain and saw the miko being stabbed through her heart by a particularly ugly demon, "NOOO!!!!" Ryoko collapsed to his knees as he saw the woman sliding to the floor, staining it with her crimson blood.

            When he looked back up again, he was in the forest. A dark figure hovered in the air before him. "Eien Ryoko..."

            "What do you want?" He spat.

            "I offer you the girl's life. Meet me at my castle, and save her life. Or remain idle, and confirm her doom."

            "When? Where?" 

            "At the seventh hour, in fifteen days. At the ridge of the mountain you will see, you shall have the chance to rectify your parents' mistake."

With that, the figure faded back into the shadows.

            Ryoko blinked. He was laying on his back under the Go-Shinboku tree, and the stars were smiling down at him. He shook his head, but the silvery form before him wouldn't go away. "Who's there?" he asked.

            "Ryoko..." a female voice whispered.

            "Sylvie...?"

            "Ryoko...it is time for you to learn about your past..." The shadow floated closer, and Ryoko could make out the shade of the miko apprentice he had once known in the old shrine.

            "What about my past?"

            "Your family...is bestowed with an ancient curse..." The ghost of the woman told him. "They are the guardians of powerful magic...one that is so powerful that it could not be entrusted to either humans or demons..."

            "What magic? What happened?"

            "The power...to control time..."

            "What?"

            "Remember, Ryoko...remember..."

            A single name flashed through Ryoko's mind. _Shiho. _With it came the now clear image of the young red-haired man. "Shiho...he was one of our closest friends..." he whispered, his memories slowly returning.

            "He craved the power it gave him..."

            "He killed my parents." 

            "By absorbing their _chi, and their souls, he opened a vortex...to change the past...and the future."_

            Realization hit Ryoko. "That's why I was able to get through the well."

            "And that is why you must stop him...he needs the Shikon no Tama to succeed...or the last of your family..."

            Ryoko gritted his teeth. _Me or Kagome. What am I willing to loose? He realized the answer had already been set for him. He didn't have a choice._

            "Stop him..." the ghost faded back into the night, and Ryoko opened his eyes.

            "Hey there. You had us scared for a moment," Kagura told him. Sango waved a couple of fingers in the air. "How many fingers?"

            "Uh...seven." At her shocked look, he added, "Minus four." He grinned. "Makes three, doesn't it?" The two women laughed.

            Ryoko wandered through the woods aimlessly. He liked to be alone at times, to think. Such as now. With so many thoughts going through his head, he wasn't sure whether to trusts his instincts or his common sense. Luckily, he was alone, and no one saw his confusion. Or so he thought.

            _This can't be good. He's usually never this quiet._ Kagura was following Ryoko on one of his excursions into the forest. She watched him as she leaned against a tree, deep in thought. _I wonder what's wrong._ _What was on the other side of the portal that could do this?_ The wind demon shook her head. Despite her instincts, she was becoming increasingly attached to the human, and although she wouldn't admit it, she was starting to care for him.

            _We'd better set this straight,_ she thought. _And we need to get the girl back. He's thinking it's his fault she's gone._ Kagura tried not to think what could have happened to the girl. She shook her head. There was nothing they could do about that now. _Although I wish...she stopped dead in her tracks. __Wish what? That this is all over? That nothing of this ever happened? No...actually, this is the best thing that ever happened to me._

            "What's the problem, Ryoko?" Kagura asked. Ryoko shouldered his pack, grabbed his swords, and stood back up. "Nothing. There's something I need to take care of."

            "What do you mean?"

            "I have to leave for a while. Old business."

            "Any leave Kagome behind? Are you giving up?" Inu-Yasha yelled.

            Ryoko glanced at the hanyou. "I'm not giving up, but there is this business I need to settle. My family made a mistake a long time ago, and Kagome is in danger because of that. Only I can settle this. Once and for all."

            "Then we're coming along. If we help you, it'll be faster," Kagura told him.

            "No." He shook his head. "Only I can set this straight. Alone."

            "No way are we letting you leave alone!"

            "I'll be going now, and you're not coming with me. It's that simple."

            "I'm your wife, I am supposed to accompany you!" Kagura resorted to their marriage. If that couldn't convince him... "Besides, I'm not letting you shake me off so easily! Damn it, you stubborn human! I'm not going to let you go alone and risk your life, if I can help it!"

            "I'll be back." With that, Ryoko left through the door.

            "I don't like this," Kagura said. "He sounded like he wasn't planning on coming back." Inu-Yasha nodded. "I know. I hope he is not going to do something stupid."

            They sat there in silence for a few moments. "You know, I don't care whether he told me to stay here. I'm going after him." Kagura finally said. _I can't let him go alone. He freed me from Naraku...and I don't want anything to happen to him._ With a flash, Kagura realized that she actually _cared for the human. Thinking of him brought a smile to her lips._

            "Wait! Woman!" Inu-Yasha yelled after the wind demon, but she was already gone. "Women," he sighed and followed her trail. He smiled slightly at the thought that Kagura was actually _caring for Ryoko. Then he thought about himself and Kagome. The more he thought about it, the more it resembled their relationship. All the more incentive to get the girl back. Besides, he hated to think what Kagura would do to him if he let Ryoko die._


	7. Chapter Seven: Samurai Showdown

**Chapter Seven: Samurai Showdown**

            Thunder crashed, and rain was pouring down from the sky. The night was pitch black except for the occassional bolt of lightning flashing through the heavens. Yet, their light, lasting only fractions of a second, illuminated the landscape brighter than daylight, bathing it in an eerie blue glow.

            Ryoko stalked through the deserted mountain range. No one, no demon, not even animals were outside in this weather. He didn't know where he was going, yet he somehow knew where his feet took him. When he looked up at the mountain, a bolt of lighting flashed past, silhouetting a building on the very top of the mountain. Ryoko caught a glimpse of it in the quickly fading light, then kept walking.

            He finally reached the top of the mountain, standing before the huge double doors of a castle. It was old, he could see that. Yet, it also seemed familiar. Flashes of memory raced through his mind. _I grew up here. This is my...home._ He shuddered. _But it feels...wrong. It's too evil._ Ryoko leaned against the double doors and pushed. The old hinges creaked open.

            Before him, in the courtyard, was something that made Ryoko forget that he was wet to the bones, that this place may be of importance to him, that he was coming to rectify an old mistake. In the center of the courtyard hung Kagome, suspended in a magical cage. She seemed somewhat groggy, but still alive. He rushed over to her and stopped short of the field. He carefully touched it, and snapped back when pain shot through his arm.

            "A useful spell, is it not?" A voice asked from behind Ryoko. He spun around. The figure had appeared behind him again. Lightning flashed again, and this time he was close enough that Ryoko could see a flash of red hair set with silver. "What do you want, Shiho?" Ryoko snarled.

            "Why, you finally remembered me, Ryoko. But is this a way to greet an old friend?" the other man removed his hood and laughed. "You haven't changed one bit. Except for that magic part. You got better at it. And you got yourself a magical weapon. It's about time you did."

            Ryoko shook his head. "Why am I here, Shiho?"

            "Isn't it obvious?" The other man smiled. "I give you a choice here. Give me the Shikon no Tama – and the girl's life. Or stay here yourself. I am sure that useless girl who escaped my grasp informed you of that."

            "Tell me one thing, Shiho. Why? Why did you murder so many people for this useless piece of magic?"

            "Ryoko, Ryoko...this magic of your family's is anything _but_ useless. The power to control time...think of it – being able to go back and undo what you did wrong, being able to alter reality for everyone else and shape it into your own world." Shiho was glaring at Ryoko. "And only those who will use those powers in the right way should be allowed to have it."

            "Which excludes you," Ryoko snapped.

            "Old friend, maybe you shouldn't voice your opinion so loud," Shiho warned. 

            "I am _not you 'old friend'!" Ryoko spat._

            "Then, I assume I will just have to take the girl's life," Shiho smiled and turned.

            "Wait." _Inu-Yasha's going to kill me if something happens to Kagome. Ryoko smiled. _And Kagura is going to kill Inu-Yasha if something happens to me._ "Let Kagome go. I'll stay."_

            "A good choice," Shiho told him. Instantly, the bonds holding Kagome in place vanished, and the girl dropped to the ground and stirred. Ryoko rushed over to her side. "Kagome, daijobu da?" The girl nodded slowly. "Got a killer headache, though."

            Ryoko chuckled, then cast a glance over her shoulder at Shiho. "Kagome, listen to me. You run back to Inu-Yasha and the rest, understood?" The girl blinked. "What about you?"

            "I can take care of myself. Just leave this place, all right?"

            Kagome shook her head violently. "You're not staying here alone!"

            "I'm not planning on staying. I just need to take care of some business before I come back." Ryoko glanced at Shiho again. "Now _go_." He helped the girl to her feet. While she limped and staggered away, he turned back to face his former friend. The two stood in the abandoned courtyard, the rain still pouring down on them. Ryoko drew his weapons, the katana Compassion and the wakizashi Mercy. The silvery light emitted by his two swords illuminated the small arena, castin eerie shadows on the ground.

            They stood there in silence, the water dripping off the tip of Ryoko's swords. Finally, with a yell, youkai broke out of the castle, washing over the courtyard in the hundreds. Ryoko twirled through the masses of demons, cutting them down – yet for every one he killed, more appeared. He pulled his blade close to his body, blocking a clawed swipe, and backstabbed with Mercy, then spun around and slashed both blades in a circle around him, clearing some space.

            The youkai were beginning to bunch up on him, and Ryoko knew that sometime, one of them would get in a lucky strike, and that would be the end of him. He grimaced. _Maybe death isn't so bad after all. At least people would stop trying to kill me. Then he thought. _Maybe not. I'd rather stay alive. For Kagura's sake._ He calmed his breathing and stood in a ring of youkai. Shiho was standing behind them, laughing._

            In a blur of movement, Ryoko spun around and whirled through the ring, cutting with deadly accuracy. Withing seconds, the ring of youkai was down, and he stood facing the mage once again. Before he could lunge at the other man, more youkai started pouring out of the shadows. Ryoko gritted his teeth as he fought his way through them.

            "_Kaze no Kizu_!" A voice yelled from behind him, and he turned quickly to see a blast of energy cut through the ranks of youkai. "_Ryuuja no Mai!" A second, female voice added. A tornado swept through the courtyard, lifting dead and alive youkai into the air and slamming them back into the ground, breaking bones like twigs._

            "What the hell are you doing here?" Ryoko yelled as Inu-Yasha and Kagura reached him. "I told you, it's none of your business!"

            "What, you running into an evil mage's stronghold like a fool is none of our business? You getting yourself killed is none of our business?" Kagura yelled back at him. "I'm not going to leave!"

            Ryoko glared at them. "At least take care of Kagome. She should be outside the gates by now." Inu-Yasha looked surprised, but nodded. "I'll be back." The hanyou leapt off into the night.

            Ryoko cast one more glance at his wife. "This is not your fight, you know?"

            "It has been my fight ever since you asked me to marry you," the wind demon replied. "I can't leave this business unfinished," he told her while slashing a demon in half.

            "I know. Just make sure you live to tell about it." Kagura smiled. It was one of the rare, true smiles Ryoko loved about her. _Who would've thought a wind demon had a caring side?_ "Now  go, I'll hold them off," she told him.

            With a nod, Ryoko sprinted into the midst of the youkai, slashing around until he reached Shiho. The mage conjured a staff from out of nowhere, and struck at Ryoko. He blocked high, and stabbed with his wakizashi. Shiho leapt aside and back.

            "You seal your death, Ryoko."

            "I've been dead since this whole mess started," he shot back.

            Ryoko lunged at the other man, one blade in a block, the other ready to strike. Shiho parried both swords, then brought his staff down hard on Ryoko's left wrist. Ryoko cried out in pain as the staff broke bones and he lost his grasp on Mercy. The wakizashi fell to the ground, and the two fighters pulled apart. Shiho pointed the tip of his staff at Ryoko, and started firing lighting bolts at him again. Ryoko slipped on a wet stone and fell over backwards. The bolt passed harmlessly overhead. Thunder crashed.

            Rolling to his feet and gritting his teeth against the pain in his left hand, Ryoko hefted Compassion with his right hand, and squared off with Shiho again. The mage started firing lighting at him again, the bolts crashing into the ground around Ryoko. The swordsman danced out of the way of the strikes, then brought his blade before his head, and shouted, "_Seijaku no Kabe_!"  The bolts smashed against his silence wall.

            Shiho glared at the other man and charged again, twirling his staff overhead. Ryoko blocked and backed away. Shiho followed through, almost hitting Ryoko square on the head. He ducked out of the way and slashed horizontally. Shiho's robe caught on the blade, and Ryoko's cut tore off a piece of it.

            He snarled at the other man, and they stood, drenched in water and blood. Shiho charged again. This time, Ryoko met him head on. Shiho's staff made contact with Compassion, and their weapons locked. Ryoko swept his legs in a low kick, sweeping the legs from under Shiho. They tumbled to the ground, weapons still locked.

            A few moments of struggling for control of the weapons resulted in Ryoko being thrown off Shiho. The other man grinned. "That's it, Ryoko. Give up. You're done for." He moved to stand over Ryoko. He was curled up on the ground. As Shiho reached down to finish him off, Ryoko lunged up. Shiho's eyes widened as they tumbed to the ground again.

            This time, however, Shiho had the blade of a sword sticking through his chest. Mercy's blade glowed a soft silver, then turned iridiscent for a moment. "So...close..." Shiho muttered as he died.

            "Ryoko!" He whirled around at Kagura's voice. The wind demoness was running at him, a mob of angry youkai on her heels. "Run!" 

            Ryoko turned around in the direction of the gate, then noticed that the gate was blocked by as many demons as were behind them. There was no way they were getting out of this. Ryoko and Kagura stood back-to-back, waiting for the youkai to come. They were both tired and bloodied.

            "You could have gotten out of here," he told her.

            "I know." Kagura smiled. "But then...I would have missed all the fun."

            Ryoko snorted. "Thanks."

            "For what?"

            "For caring." Ryoko shot a smile back at her.

            Inu-Yasha ran through the woods, Sango, Miroku, and Shippou close behind him riding on Kirara. "Hurry up!" The hanyou shouted. They were reaching the front gate of the castle when they heard the fighting. "Come on!"

            As they broke through the gate, they stood shocked for a moment. Bunched up before them were so many youkai they couldn't count them. They seemed to pile up on one particular spot. Sango thought for a moment to see the silvery flash of Ryoko's blade, and the purple glow of Kagura's fighting fan.

            "We've got to get through them!" Inu-Yasha lunged into the fray, letting go his _Kaze no Kizu as soon as he was ready. In an instant, Sango and Miroku were beside him._

            Kagura leaned on Ryoko's back. "I didn't know there were this many youkai in the world," she quipped. Her husband snorted and gave a dry laugh. "Enough to kill us, obviously." His katana had started glowing in a greenish light during the battle, and he was wondering what it meant. He had the feeling the blade had become lighter and faster, but he couldn't be entirely sure what enchantments the blade carried.

            "Next time they start piling up on us, we won't be able to hold them back," he told her. "I know. And Inu-Yasha isn't going to make it in time."

            Ryoko turned at his wife's cry of pain and reflexively deflected a second blow, then gutted the demon. He supported Kagura as he glanced down quickly. The youkai had managed to dig its claws deep into her side. Her demon powers would let her heal and survive this – provided she rested. Which was not an option now.

            He shot her a sad look which she caught. "Hey...that was some...fun," she said weakly. "Let's finish this game and go home..." She pulled him close for a moment and whispered, "You know, I love you, Ryoko," she told him. _How did that happen?_ The wind demon asked herself.

            Ryoko managed a smile. "All right. Let's finish the game. _Aishiteru._" 

            With her leaning against his shoulder, he lifted Compassion high into the air, tip pointed skyward. The rain had stopped, and rays of the rising sun were starting to shine through the clouds. The ranks of youkai were closing around them. 

            "_Saishou no Hakai_!" A mandala started forming in the sky above them, lightining from the clouds bundling at its center. He channeled his energy into the spell, and felt a sudden burst when Kagura did, too. While he was afraid of what would happen if they cast the spell, he was secretly glad. There was no way he would have enough energy to wipe out all of the demons at once. With a yell, Ryoko brought his blade down, and the blast released itself on the castle grounds. He held Kagura, and she clung to him in a death grip as the lightning came crashing down. The two stood in the center of the blast as fire rained from the sky. In a flash of light, it was over. The ground thundered and shook, the castle collapsed. Then, the lightning struck.

            "What in the seven hells?" Inu-Yasha stared at the mandala in the sky. "What is that?" Sango asked. 

"It's a purifying mandala," Miroku told them. "But I've never seen one this large."  The monk struggled to his feet. "It is usually fueled by the love and emotion of the caster."

They stared in amazement and trepidation as the lightning strike struck, and bathed them in white, blinding light.

When Sango opened her eyes again, she was on level ground. _What happened to the mountain? She gaped as she saw the landscape. It was a normal plain, yet in its center was a gigantic blast hole. "Kami-sama..." Tears welled up in her eyes. __Ryoko... She couldn't believe he was gone. _There was so much more to live for...__

"I don't think there is anything we can do, Sango." Miroku laid a hand on her shoulder, for once not thinking about making a move on her. "They were in the center of the blast." The monk smiled slightly. "They were both restless souls," he told her.

"What do you mean?"

"Ryoko and Kagura. Kagura was always looking for her freedom. Ryoko...did you notice what his name means?" He smiled again. "_The eternal wanderer. It fits, somehow. He was always looking for his peace. Now they both found what they wanted." He paused for a moment. "Maybe it was destiny." The monk seemed to reflect. For once, Sango thought, he looked like the holy man he was supposed to be. "He would want you to move on. He loved you, and he would want to see you happy."_

Sango gave a mirthless chuckle, then broke out into full-fledged laughter for a moment. At Miroku's confused stare, she added, "That's exactly what he told me once." _When I was still caught in the past._ The chuckled again. _Strange...he is in the past, the present, and he's in the future, too. Maybe he was destined to wander time._

Inu-Yasha shook his head. He turned slowly and left. He still had Kagome to take care of. Slowly, Sango and Miroku followed him. Maybe it was destiny, indeed.


	8. Epilogue: Through Time

**Epilogue: Through Time**

            A man with short black hair and piercing light green eyes stepped out of a car. He was wearing a dark green coat with sakura blossoms stitched on it, and his coat outlined a long shape. He went to the other side and opened the door. A young woman stepped out. Short black hair framed her elegant features, and a sakura patterned white and purple kimono clung to her, but the most remarkable thing about her were her dark red eyes. She carried a fan.

            The man walked and knocked on the door of the shrine.

            "Higurashi Shrine, who's there?" A voice answered from the inside. The door opened and Kagome glanced out. She was home for a few days for a math exam and had finally talked Inu-Yasha into letting her go. She opened the door.

            As she saw who was standing at the threshold, she gaped.

            The man and woman smiled. "Never forget, young lady, destiny is never fixed. We always make our own." With that, the couple left and returned to their car. Moments later, the engine powered up and they were gone. Kagome stood in the doorway for some time and tried to order the thoughts in her head. Finally, she gave up and smiled. _Isn't it enough to know that I am my own master? And that someone will always be looking out for us? With a satisfied smile, she returned to her study._

**THE END**


End file.
